Pump plunger improvement



July 4, 1961 M. H. DAYE 2,991,137

PUMP PLUNGER IMPROVEMENT Filed Aug. 17, 1960 INVENTOR.

jWkeW/v 24k; 32 BY M jWw, wM /Mw nited 2,991,137 PUMP PLUNGER IMPROVEMENT Marvin H. Daye, 1012 S. Main St., Henderson, Tex. Filed Aug. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 50,241 '3 Claims. (Cl. 309-23) The present invention relates to plunger pumps of the type having a plunger disposed within a barrel and rnovwhich the wells are driven, the types of liquids encountered, the increased pressures within the wells, and the increased heat, In the use of the plunger type pumps wherein a pump plunger is moved relative to a pump barrel difficulty has been encountered because of excessive swelling or expanding of the packing rings after the plunger pump is run into the well. It is well known in the art to utilize a conventional type of packing which swells upon contact with liquids, pressure, and/or heat. However, because of the various liquids likely to be encountered in a well and because of the various temperature and pressure conditions likely to be encountered, the predetermined amount of swell or expansion of the conventional composition type packing cannot be accurately determined. Where a plunger pump may operate satisfactorily at one level within a well when in contact with certain liquids at certain temperatures and pressures, it would not operate satisfactorily at other elevations because of the fact that excessive swelling of the composition type packing causes the plunger to freeze within the barrel.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of plunger which is adapted to be moved upward and downward relative to a pump barrel, the plunger having improved means to prevent the sticking of the same within the barrel under various conditions of operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of plunger having a plunger pump wherein conventional type of packings are used but means are provided on the plunger to accommodate for excessive swelling of the packings should the conditions of operation cause such swelling and thereby eliminating freezing of the plunger in the pump barrel.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of plunger for use in plunger pumps, the plunger being assembled from a plurality of separately and cheaply manufactured parts which allows the plunger to be dressed in accordance with the conditions in the well being pumped.

Ancillary to the preceding object, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a plunger for use in a plunger pump in which the separate packing assemblies may be easily disassembled and removed from the plunger body for replacement and repair.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a plunger made up of a plurality of parts assembled on a plunger body, the joints between the various parts being sealed so as to eliminate sand, jip, and other abrasive particles from getting between the various parts and the plunger body. Such a seal between the joints of the various elements prevents the elements from sticking to the plunger when it is desired to remove, repair, and/ or replace the same.

Patented July 4, 1961 ice These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following specification, claims and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view through the pump barrel and showing the pump of the present invention in side elevation;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view partly cut away of one of the packing assemblies comprising a rigid cylindrical packing ring supporting member together with the packing rings carried thereon;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing a condition of excessive swelling of the conventional type of packing ring and the means of the present invention for accommodating such swelling.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like character or reference numerals represent like or similar parts, the plunger pump generally includes a barrel B and a plunger P, unnecessary details of the construction of the barrel or the manner of attachment of the plunger P to fixed or moving parts being omitted. Generally plunger pumps comprise a relatively movable barrel and plunger as is well known in the art. The plunger pump may be either a casing pump or a tubing pump and may have either a fixed barrel with a movable plunger or a movable barrel with a fixed plunger. Where the barrel of the pump is fixed to the casing or tubing, the plunger is positively reciprocated with respect to the barrel by suitable connecting means extending from the upper end of the present invention may be used with such well known types of pumps. Further, it will be evident that the improved plunger might be used to operate within and directly against the walls of a well tubing or casing although its association in a separate pump barrel in serted into the well is primarily intended.

The pump plunger P includes. an elongated tubular ,body portion 10 shown in broken lines in FIGURE 1, the

body portion being provided with a longitudinally extending passage or bore 12 having a smooth interior wall as shown in FIGURE 2. The exterior wall of the body 10 is machined smooth except at its opposite ends where it is provided with exterior threads 14 and 16. A plurality of packing elements or assemblies generally designated at 18, 20 and 22 are removably mounted on the smooth outside wall of the tube 10 and a pair of lock nuts 24 and 26 threaded onto the end threads 14 and 16 respectively of the body 10 hold the assemblies 18, 20 and 22 in abutting relationship thereon. Any number of packing assemblies may be utilized depending upon the desired dress of the plunger for a particular job.

At the top of the plunger body 10, there is provided a seat frame 30 for receiving the conventional valve cage assembly. The seat frame 30 is provided with internal threads so that it may be threaded onto the threads 14 of body 10. The valve cage assembly is threaded onto external threads 31, the seat frame 30 and the ball carried by the valve cage assembly may seat on the internal seat of the seat frame 30. While lower end of the plunger P is provided with a seat frame 32 which is adapted to carry a lower valve cage (not shown) having the conventional ball therein for permitting flow only upwardly through the pump plunger P, it will be understood the lower end may also be fitted with an adapter for connecting the pump to a pull tube, gas anchor, hold down assembly or the like.

As is now evident, movement of the plunger P relative to the barrel B in a downward direction will cause the lower ball valve and upper ball valve (both not shown) to move off their respective seats and oil or liquid may flow up through the longitudinal passage 12 of the hollow body to the surface of the well. On the upward stroke of the plunger P, the ball valves are closed so that the oil cannot flow backwardly down into the well.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, the packing assembly 18 is shown, it being understood that the packing assemblies 20 and 22 are substantially identically constructed. The packing assembly 18 includes a rigid bronze cylindrically shaped packing ring supporting member 34 having a smooth bore 36 therethrough of diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the body 10 so that it may have a sliding fit therewith. A counterbore 38 is provided adjacent each end of the bore 36, the purpose of the counterbores being described in more detail later in the specification. The exterior wall or surface of the rigid cylindrical member 34 is provided with a plurality of annular packing grooves 40, the grooves being longitudinally spaced along the member 34 and separated from each by the lands 44. Each annular groove 40 is adapted to receive a split ring conventional type of packing 42, these packings being well known in the art and having a substantially rectangular cross section.

The packing rings 42 are made of conventional canvas and rubber composition packing material which swells or expands upon contact with certain liquids as well as under certain temperature and pressure conditions. The

annular packings 42, which are fitted in the annular grooves 40 and separated from one another by the lands 44, are adapted to swell or expand radially into engagement with the inside wall of the barrel B when the barrel and the plunger P are positioned within the well, the expansion of the packings 42 forming an effective seal with the pump barrel still permitting relative movement between the barrel B and the plunger P.

However, as mentioned hereinbefore, the swelling or expansion cannot be controlled within predetermined limits and thus the expansion of the annular packing rings 42 differs for different liquids encountered at different depths, and for different temperatures and pressures encountered within the well. Consequently, if each of the packing rings 42 are bottomed in the packing grooves 40, their expansion or swelling can only be radially outwardly and if such expansion is too great, it causes a seizure between the pump plunger P and the barrel B causing malfunction of the pump.

The improvement of the present invention comprising providing an area or space in the packing groove whereby the packing rings 42 after initially making sealing contact with the barrel B can further expand without causing the packing rings to seize the barrel with an increased force to thereby cause a drag between the barrel and plunger.

Referring now to FIGURES 4 and 5, the improvement is accomplished by providing the annular packing grooves 40 with substantially parallel side walls and a recessed or concaved bottom wall 52. In the preferred form of the invention, the concaved bottom wall 52 of the packing groove 40 is curved as shown in FIGURE 4. However, it is, of course, within the scope of the present invention to provide a concaved bottom wall which is beveled. Referring now specifically to FIGURE 4, it will be noted that the packing rings 42 which are rectangular in section have their side walls substantially contiguous with the side walls 50 of the groove 40. In the normal position, the packing rings 52 abut the junction between the curved bottom wall 52 and the side walls 50 so that under normal conditions of swelling of the packing,- such swelling can only take place radially outwardly. This insures the outer surface of the packing rings 42 sealing against the inner wall of the barrel B. When in this position, a the plunger pump P may be reciprocated with respect to the barrel B and the desired pumping action can be obtained. It will be noted in FIGURE 4 that when in this just previously described position, there is a space 54 provided between the bottom or inner peripheral surface 56 of the packing rings 42 and the bottom wall 52.

Assuming that the pump is positioned in the well where there is an increase in pressure or temperature or a different type of liquid is encountered which causes more swelling of the packing ring 42, then the packing ring can swell or expand radially inwardly to fill up the space 54 as shown in FIGURE 5. By providing the space 54 to accommodate for excessive swelling of the packing ring 52, when such excessive swelling occurs, no increased forces are exerted by the outer surface of the packing rings 42 on the inner surface of the barrel B and, therefore, the plunger can still be reciprocated with respect to the barrel In each instance, it is necessary that the concaved or recessed surface of the bottom wall 52 be such that when the packing ring is initially positioned within groove 40 it cannot bottom against the bottom wall 52 unless there is excessive swelling of the same. In other words, the mere provision of an oversized groove is not sufficient to accomplish the desired unexpected result because swelling would then take place in both a radially inwardly and a radially outwardly direction and a good seal could not be obtained with the barrel. In the improved arrangement of packing grooves 40, the packing rings 42 initially expand or swell radially outwardly and only after they have made engagement with the inside wall of the barrel B can they swell or expand inwardly into the space between the same and the concave bottom wall 52.

By providing a plurality of packing assemblies 18 removably mounted on the tubular body 10, the pump plunger P may be dressed or redressed depending upon the various conditions encountered in the well. Additionally, a particular packing assembly 18, 20 or 22 may be removed from the tubular body and replaced or repaired when the packing rings 42 become worn. Since the packing assemblies 18, 20 and 22 are removably mounted on the tubular body 10, it is necessary to eliminate all sand, jip, or other abrasive materials from entering between the abutting cylindrical members 34 into the area between the members 34 and the exterior surface of the tubular body 10 so as to prevent corrosion of and sticking of the member 34 to the body 10. To accomplish this, a sealing ring 58 of the O-ring type is placed on the body 10 between abutting cylindrical members 34. The O-ring 58 fits in a groove defined by the opposed counterbores 38 and when in position, it engages the walls of the counterbores 38 as well as the exterior wall of the tubular body 10. When the packing assemblies 18, 20 and 22 are assembled on the body 10 and are clamped together by the lock nuts 24 and 26, the plunger becomes a composite integral unit with no possibility of sand, jip or other deleterious materials being able to get between the tubular body 10 and the cylindrical members 34.

By making the cylindrical members 34 of bronze and the tubular body 10 of stainless steel, corrosion of the parts are reduced as the bronze resists any corrosion or galvanic effect of well fluid which would tend to additionally bond the cylindrical member to the body 10. Further, the use of bronze for the cylindrical members 34 reduces wear on the tubular body and thus increases the life of the plunger.

It is thus seen that the objects and advantages of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished by the improvements to the plunger illustrated in the drawings and described in detail hereinbefore. However, the foregoing specific embodiments of the plunger for the plunger type pumps is subject to some changes without departing from the principles of the invention involved. For this reason, the terminology used in this specification is forthe purpose of description and not limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The improvement in a pump plunger adapted for relative upward and downward movement within a barrel comprising an elongated tubular supporting body having a smooth exterior wall, a plurality of rigid cylindrical packing ring supporting members each having a bore therethrough with a counterbore at the end of each bore, said cylindrical members being removably mounted and arranged in end abutting relationship on said tubular body with one of the countenbores of one cylindrical member opposing the counterbore of an abutting cylindrical member and defining a ceiling ringed groove, a ceiling ring in each ceiling ring groove between abutting cylindrical member, said sealing ring engaging opposed walls of said counterbores and the exterior Wall of said tubular member, each of said cylindrical members having a plurality of annular packing grooves longitudinally spaced on its outer wall, each of said packing grooves being defined by substantially parallel side walls and a concave bottom wall, packing rings mounted in said packing grooves, each of said packing rings being substantially rectangular in section and normally of a size to fill said grooves and have their side Walls substantially contiguous with the side walls of the packing grooves and their inner peripheral wall spaced from the concave bottom wall of said packing grooves, said packing rings being characterized by their ability to swell into engagement with the barrel, and means on said tubular body acting longitudinally thereof for clamping said cylindrical members together in abutting relationship with the sealing rings engaging the walls of the counterbores and the exterior wall of the body to provide a sealed joint between abutting cylindrical members.

2. The pump plunger of claim 1 wherein said sealing rings are O-snaped in cross section.

3. The plunger of claim 1 wherein said concave bottom walls of said packing grooves have a curved surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED :STATES- PATENT. OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,991, 137 July 4, 1961 Marvin kl, Daye It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column .1, line 16, for the patent number "2,531,675" read 2,531,672 column 5, line 18, for "ceiling ringed read sealing ring same line 18, for "ceiling" read sealing line 19, for "ceiling" read sealing Signed and sealed this 6th day of February 1962.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Offi Commissioner of Patents 

